


sunshine

by orphan_account



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Established Relationship, Flashbacks, Fluff, Gen, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Partially Non-Linear Narrative, Song Lyrics, implied/reference ptsd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-06
Updated: 2016-10-06
Packaged: 2018-08-19 20:02:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8223121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: He's almost forgotten what it feels like to be warm. Warm, like the setting desert sun on his face. Warm, like his connection to Red, which he immediately severed after he was taken in order to protect her from any Galra mind games. Warm, like familiar faces and smiles all around. He aches with how much he misses that warmth.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was edited by the wonderful, incredible, and amazing dylexa (check 'em out at dylexa.tumblr.com)!. Then come yell at me at krrizal.tumblr.com about Voltron, life, or anything in general.

**You are my sunshine**

Alarms blare in his ears, but all that registers is the uneven thump of his heart against his broken ribcage. The floor of the cell is freezing beneath his cheek. He knows he's been here for only a few days at the most, but it feels longer. He's almost forgotten what it feels like to be warm. Warm, like the setting desert sun on his face. Warm, like his connection to Red, which he immediately severed after he was taken in order to protect her from any Galra mind games. Warm, like familiar faces and smiles all around. He aches with how much he misses that warmth.

_("-make sure you got the plan?Wait ten tics for Keith's diversion to work, swoop in from above, and take out the sentinels. Coran and I will handle getting the captives to safety."_

_"Allura, are you sure there isn't another way we can do this? We can't just send Keith in blind."_

_"Shiro, I'm not going in blind."_

_"You might as well be. The intel we got from the patrol isn't the most reliable. For all we know, there could be an entire Galra fleet waiting for us on the other side of that planet."_

_"But what we do know for sure is that there's a Galra carrier full of captives heading through that area tomorrow and we have to help them!"_

_"Shiro, Keith, calm down! Look, I know that this is not the best circumstance, but we must push through. There are people that need our help, people who've suffered under Zarkon's hand. We must do everything in our power to help them."_

_"Princess, I understand completely, I just..."_

_"It's alright, Shiro. You want to protect the person you love. That's why we'll stay as close to Keith as we can get without risking the Galra spotting us. He is not alone in this."_

_A hand finds his and squeezes tightly._

_"No, he's not."_

_Keith squeezes back, presses a quick kiss into a broad shoulder and indulges for just a brief moment in the startled inhale above his ear._

_"I know you'll always have my back.")_

**My only sunshine**

Galra troops storm through the hallways as the ship shudders under the weight of another blow. Must be Hunk or Lance, he figures. They would be the ones to deal the heavy damage while Pidge and Shiro sneak aboard the ship, Allura and Coran providing tactical support from the Castle. It's funny in an ironic way, he muses to himself, he never expected to be the one needing rescue. 

_(They stand intheir shared bedroom, enfolded in a tight embrace **.**_

_"Keith-"_

_"Shiro, I've done dozens of diversions before."_

_"I know. I just..."_

_A pause, two twin sighs. Instinctively resting their foreheads together._

_"Just be careful out there, okay? **"** Shiro urges softly. **"** I don't fully trust our intel's sources. If things turn sour tomorrow..."_

_"We'll regroup and keep fighting. C'mon, I don't Coran to get mad because we're late for dinner." He tenderly touches Shiro's chin so their eyes can meet, "Hey, it's gonna be fine. We're the legendary defenders, remember? This is what we do."_

_Shiro chuckles lightly, placing sweet kisses on both of Keith's eyelids that kindle a gentle fire in his chest. "You're right, let's go."  His right hand settles at the small of Keith's back, guiding him forward, safe and comfortable.)_

**You make me happy**

Through half-lidded eyes, the left swollen nearly shut, he can see the rapid flash of emergency lights outside the cell. Dozens of black boots trample past the cell, an uneven and irregular rhythm. The ship trembles continuously now and the world starts to blur around the edges. A particularly strong shake has his vision swirling in a dizzying blur of colors.

Then, in the next heartbeat, a distant roar pierces through the haze of sensations, ferocious and demanding and clearly leaving nothing untouched in its wake.

_(The chatter in the dining hall is light, and the looming magnitude of tomorrow's mission is tempered by the comforting sense of togetherness that permeates every inch of the room._

_"There you two are!" Coran whisks them to their seats, tsk-ing loudly. "I was just about to send Lance and Hunk to look for you. Sit down, I made a hearty dinner that I'm making sure none of you will miss. Growing paladins need their strength!"_

_The dinner looks like something out of an evil scientist's lab and smells like the Garrison gyms, although they've learned that it's better to consume Coran's cooking as quickly as possible than reject it outright._

_"As if I was actually gonna go look for them," Lance scoffs, nose scrunched up at the two of them. "Who knows what they could have been doing?"_

_"I don't know," Pidge drawls as they push up their glasses and stares at them. "They don't look too ruffled, don't they, Hunk?"_

_"Nah," Hunk agrees, his eyes twinkling with mirth as Lance and Pidge snicker in the background. "But then again, they've gotten better since the last Incident. You can never tell with these two."_

_"Guys," Shiro says, ducking his head as a red blush flares across his cheeks. "We're at dinner."_

_"You don't seem to be very hungry, Shiro," Allura points out from her seat at the head of the table. "Perhaps... you already ate earlier?"_

_The sparkle in her eyes betray her solemn tone and everyone starts laughing at once._

_"Keith," Shiro starts, turning to him._

_"Let them be. You know they won't stop at this point," Keith says, unable to keep the grin off his face._

_Shiro's strained expression mellows out into something exasperated and fond, and he reaches up to brush a wayward curl from Keith's face._

_"Look! They're at it!" Pidge cries out, and the evening dissolves into double-layered jokes and an eventual food fight that has Coran kicking them out of the dining hall "for good this time! Why, back in my day-!")_

**When skies are gray**

A vast consciousness pokes impatiently at his shielded mind, the action softened by an underlying thrum of concern. His chapped lips quirk up. There are no Galra witches to lash out at his mind or Galra soldiers to beat his body now.

With a sharp inhale, he lowers his mental shields. Red flows into him, engulfing his entire being as she settles comfortably in the considerable space she had claimed for herself. She nips at him, growling at each bruise and break and pain he doesn't even try to hide from her anymore, snarling at his "idiotic-stupid-reckless-self-sacrificing human!!!-"decision to cut their connection at the start of this. Then she hesitates for a tremulous second before tugging him nearer, and he can feel just how shaken she is, how much their abrupt and unexpected separation hurt her.

_("Shh, deep breaths, in and out," Keith whispers, rubbing Shiro's tense shoulders as the nightmare relinquishes its hold on him. "There we go, deep breaths, that's it."_

_"S-sorry I w-woke you up," Shiro grits out, self-loathing rising in his eyes. Keith pulls him close to his chest and he leans them both down on the bed, making sure Shiro's ear rests right above his heart._

_'You have nothing to apologize for,' he wants to say. **'** It's alright, **'** he aches to say... but he knows that there are simply some things he cannot convince Shiro of. That there are some things that cut too deep for him to heal by sheer willpower alone. The only thing he can truly do, which is one of the hardest things he's ever had to learn to accept in his life, is be with Shiro as he he fights his demons. Be with him until the tears run dry, until he allows Keith back in.)_

**You'll never know, dear,**

Tears prick at the corners of his eyes. Opening up his heart to Red, he reveals how much he cares for her, the lengths he is willing to go to ensure her safety, and the profound weight of wrongness that has burdened him when they were apart. She grumbles at him but instantly lets their bond spring back into existence, an unbroken link of red light held securely across their shared consciousness. Their focus melds together, Red lending him her sight.

_(Shiro takes deep, shaky breaths until he slumps against Keith's chest. It is quiet. They cling to each other. Then, quietly, into his heart, "Thank you, Keith."_

_Keith kisses Shiro's sweaty temple and murmurs, "Anytime."_

_"No, really, Keith," Shiro pushes up to lean over and stare intently at him. His dark gray eyes are deep and fathomless, ringed by dark circles, and Keith is unable to stop from cupping Shiro's cheeks and massaging his thumbs over his temples. "Hey, listen..."_

_"I'm always listening," Keith reminds him gently, reclining once more. "What is it?")_

**How much I love you**

The world explodes into startling clarity like a struck match, and he is no longer inside the cell. The breathless expanse of deep space unfolds around him, interspersed by the explosive action occurring right outside the Galra ship. 

Lance and Hunk are handling the bulk of the heavy offense, flying and fighting in perfect synchronization that Keith knows they spent countless hours practicing. Their moves are more vicious than usual, taking out entire platoons without hesitation as if they are fighting time itself. Through Red, Keith picks up the bellows and snarls of their lions as Yellow and Blue tear through the Galra forces like a desert storm. 

The Castle is situated just above the Galra, its protective ion shield shimmering in the void as dozens of crystal blue lasers rip across the Galra fighters. If Keith concentrates, he can hear Coran's triumphant shouts and Allura's calm, confident voice providing tactical support from the helm. 

Then, he spots Pidge and Shiro at the side of the carrier ship he is on, crowding at the spot closest to his cell. He swallows back a sudden surge of emotion at Black's broad bulk protecting Green as Pidge creates an opening in the ship.

_("I just..." Shiro bites his lip. His gaze is intense and heavy now, almost blazing in the starlight. "Thank you. For everything."_

_Keith stretches his neck to firmly press his lips to Shiro's right wrist, hoping it will convey everything he still finds hard to admit out loud:_

_"I've seen you at your worst, I've seen you at your best, and I'd do anything for you. I'd go to the ends of the universe to make you happy. I'll stand with you until the end. I can't believe you're here with me. I'm so happy I found you again. I love you, no matter what."_

_By the way Shiro's face crumples and his arms wrap around Keith, he knows Shiro got the message.)_

**Please don't take my sunshine away**

They're safe. Everyone's alive and safe and fighting - fighting for him, fighting to get him back. A year ago he would have never been so sure in their intentions. Today, it's one of the few truths he absolutely believes in, that they would fight for each other just as much as they would fight to rid the universe of the Galra empire. 

Everything he's been holding in since his capture flares hot and bright in his chest, a star going supernova, and Red unleashes a roar that ripples throughout the chasm of space they're in. To the Galra it may seem random, but to the paladins it carries a message of hope. The battle stills for a visible moment, then ecstatic sounds burst in his ears.

"Keith! Keith! He's there, guys! Did you hear Red?!" Hunk yells excitedly.

"What did you expect? That son of a gun is too stubborn to die," Lance shouts back, laughing all the while.

"That's our boy!" Coran crows, audibly punching more buttons to maintain the ion shield. 

"Almost there!" Pidge calls, the whir of breaking metal cracking in the background.

"Paladins, hold your positions," Allura reminds them, though her voice wavers as she adds, "Keith, hang in there, we are on our way."

Then **...**

"Keith."

Shiro.

"Keith-" a shuddering breath, then, firmly,  "Keith, you're grounded for the next five missions. It was a unanimous decision."

Laughter bursts out from all sides like music to Keith's ears. Red rumbles in approval.

As the remaining Galra fighters fall one by one, and Red's happy purr is a constant in his ears, and his family - bright-burning in the face of everything they've faced and will face - returns to him, Keith relaxes.

He has never felt more warm in his life.

_("By the way," Shiro says as they prepare for the mission the next morning, "if, you know, things don't go according to plan today-"_

_"Oh my god, Shiro-"_

_"If they don't," Shiro stresses as he kisses Keith's forehead, "just know that we'll always come for you, okay?"_

_The hangar goes quiet as Keith freezes, overwhelmed by the swell of love on Shiro's face, before grinning up at him, grinning at everyone smiling around him._

_"Yeah, I know.")_

**Author's Note:**

> Comments, rants, constructive criticism, incoherent feels fests, and the like ARE ALWAYS APPRECIATED. Check me out on krrizal.tumblr.com if you wanna yell at me there :D


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